Breanna Stewart, who led Team USA to the FIBA Women's World Cup gold medal in September, has been named the 2018 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.

"It's really an honor," Stewart said in a statement. "Each time that I've won has had its own special meaning, its own special place.

"This one is special, because I was in a different position than I was with the other ones. I was playing with a lot of younger players and had to perform really well and be at my best at the World Cup."

Stewart started all six games in Spain and averaged a team-leading 16.3 points along with 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as the Americans were 6-0. She shot 58 percent from the field and was named FIBA World Cup MVP and to the all-tournament team.

The 6-4 Stewart, 24, also won the award in 2011 and '13, joining Lisa Leslie as a three-time honoree. Only Diana Taurasi and Teresa Edwards, who won the award four times, have earned the honor more times.

The honor caps a year in which Stewart also was voted the 2018 WNBA MVP after she led the Seattle Storm to a league-best 26-8 record and the league title.